US Vote Blog

By Joshua Greenbaum, November 11, 2020

One of the unfortunate narratives coming out of the complex 2020 election year has been a raft of accusations about the integrity of the election process. The concerns have spanned a gamut of issues: from fears of foreign interference and the casting of...

While record numbers of voters are planning to cast a ballot this November – or are doing so right now, depending on the availability of early voting and mail-in balloting in your state – a troubling question is starting to emerge: will these voters, many of them first time voters, vote for more than who they want to see sitting in the White House come January 20?

The issue of a lack of “down-ballot voting,” as it is called, is hardly new. In a typical presidential election year, when barely 50 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot, a third or more of those voting don’t bother to fill out the entire ballot.

Voting should be simple. It should be easy and efficient. It should allow any eligible citizen to claim their right to vote without difficulty.

It is not. Voting in the US is complicated, especially due to state-by-state differences that make it hard to participate in the most basic democratic...

It’s possible that, like many of this year’s voters, you’re voting from home for the first time. Good for you. You may even be voting for first time, period. Even better. There’s a lot of good reasons to vote at home – safety in the midst of a pandemic being the main one these days. Another great...

More years than not, we are experiencing the effects of fires, hurricanes, evacuations, the loss of homes and businesses on elections. The twin threat of seasonal fires and hurricanes are a constant reminder of the fragility inherent in the interplay between civilization and nature.

When fire season and hurricane season come upon us, thousands may lose their homes, and hundreds of thousands may be evacuated. Many of those evacuated were able to return to their homes, but all too many are now permanently displaced.

One of the true pleasures in being part of a non-partisan get-out-the-vote organization is the interest that young people show in what U.S. Vote Foundation does in order to make sure Every Citizen is a Voter. Even though our motto is technically about every eligible citizen, young people who are...

One of the things we’re most proud of at U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and Overseas Vote is our longstanding role supporting the efforts of uniformed services voters and their families to participate in the electoral process, regardless of whether they’re stationed overseas or stateside.

That role...

College students ought to have easily accessible, transparent information to questions they have about voting: Where can I register to vote? How do I register to vote? How do I get an absentee ballot?

After scouring 50 different Secretary of State websites in search of answers to these questions, one observation was clearer than the rest: navigating the voting process for college students is unnecessarily complicated and opaque. And while state-by-state answers to these questions are available here on the US Vote Foundation website, there are some findings and interpretations that I would like to share....

Those of you who log on to U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and Overseas Vote for help in getting your ballot or contacting your local election official may be surprised to know that we have another important mission: helping other organizations, companies, and even states provide the same services to...